Foreign lithium dependence, here we come
All about South AmericaAs automakers move towards the electrification of the automobile, there is still one issue that has not been fully resolved. From where will the lithium come?
America has a little. China has quite a bit, but the majority of it is in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. In fact, the most significant supply is in Bolivia where, according to recent reports, the socialist, anti-American government is "keeping foreigners at bay."
While many believe these markets will eventually open up, to whom will they be open? Anyone? Only the highest bidders? Everyone but the US?
Also, most of the lithium mines in the world are not yet capable of wide-scale mining. Will it all be easy to mine? Will new, expensive mining methods be required? How quickly can lithium mining be scaled up to meet growing demand?
What if lithium and, therefore, lithium batteries, cost much more than automakers are anticipating?
Many automakers are rushing to put a lot of eggs in lithium - as they have no real investment in NiMH - yet I can't help but wonder, have they really thought this through? Is the use of lithium going to occur at a much slower pace than many are expecting?
If so, Toyota's NiMH investment could be one its smartest moves ever. And, with Honda recently stepping up its NiMH investment, it's hard not to wonder if US automakers have again missed the boat.
Labels: lithium battery
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:16 AM
7 Comments:
Those are interesting points, but you're forgetting one major difference between oil and lithium:
Lithium is not consumed while you're using the battery. It can be reused for making a new battery when the car gets junked.
Also, the cost of Li is a minor factor of Li battery costs. Those costs are well established. Metals in the cathodes (like Co and Ni) are much more expensive, and things like assembly costs and safety engineering costs are important too.
Karkus -
Those are also interesting points.
But, to your second point. There are lots of expensive components to the lithium battery. That's the critical issue.
Today, lithium is perhaps a minor cost, but what if costs of lithium quickly double, triple, etc as demand increases? Especially, since I think the countries in control of this supply are going to quickly learn to manipulate the market.
Could not lithium make what is already a cost-ineffective technology -- at least at today's energy prices -- just too expensive to make any sense without significant, permanent tax incentives or much higher energy prices?
Indeed it's the same shit all over again.
Electricity and hydrogen will be the fuels of the future...pure and simple. It's a concept many are unwilling to accept today..but any carbon based fuels will need to be eliminated.
Battery technology to power large vessels and aircraft is very unrealistic.
The system has to be looked at...not just single components.
Bolivia and South American countries are not so much Anti-American, as anti- being economically raped and militarily bullied by America.
I see nothing wrong with Bolivia keeping foreigners at bay in an attempt to insure they control their economic destiny and resources. If lithium is rare and expensive, Bolivia should get their fair share. If it is environmentally damaging to mine, they should draft the strictest regulations over mining operations BEFORE allowing a single foreign mine to open.
Foreign mining companies probably have a poor record of respecting the interests of domestic populations once they are allowed in to a country.
Don't believe the propaganda that Anti-americanism is the cause of our problems in South America. Most likely that's corporate PR trying to rile up the US public to demand "tough action" against threats to "American" (read corporate) interests.
In the case of Lithium, there is more of a case to be made that the interests are national and not just mining companies' PR. Still, Bolivia is a democracy, and we can deal with them respectfully and for MUTUAL benefit.
And if the terms they extract are high due to their concern for environmental protection and domestic benefit (it is a poor country), Americans should support that Bolivian "stimulus" and "environmental protection" plan. We shouldn't get our electric cars via the exploitation of the lands or people of Bolivia, or any other nation, period.
indigo incarnates
Ok... I'll admit that I am not a chemistry expert, but why can't sodium be a subsitute for lithium? it's in the same column as the periodic table and has many properties in common with lithium. Of course, it is heavier. But there is also a heck of a lot more sodium in the world than lithium.
Yes... americans are stupid HAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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